James Wallace Paterson, 83, of Vineland, NJ passed away September 15, 2017 at The Willows Assisted Living of Holmdel, NJ.

Jim, as he was known to friends and colleagues, was born in Westerly, Rhode Island and received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Rhode Island. After Jim’s years of service, he went on to earn his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Agronomy from Penn State University.

Jim proudly served his country during the Korean War in the United States Air Force. He handled communications via Morse code while he was stationed in Japan for two of the four years he served.

Upon earning his PhD in Agronomy, Jim became a researcher with a focus on Soil and Crops and in 1967, he joined Rutgers Research and Development Center in Bridgeton, NJ as a Soil and Crops Specialist. In 1972, Jim was appointed Director of the facility and became a pioneer in national research leading to guidelines established in drip/trickle irrigation systems. His research resulted in more abundant and higher quality vegetables through more efficient and environmentally sound agricultural practices. During his tenure at Rutgers, he traveled throughout the United States and internationally and gave lectures as an expert in the field of agriculture. Jim retired from Rutgers in 1994.